If you are after a high-protein snack bar similar to my Pumpkin Protein Bars, Cookie Dough Protein Bars, or Protein Cereal Bars made with wholesome ingredients, no artificial sweetener, no egg, and 100% certified gluten-free ingredients, you have come to the right place. Let’s face it. Most protein bars contain either gluten or animal products. They are often made from whey protein powder which is not a plant-based protein but comes from animal sources. Also, most bars contain oats or are not gluten-free certified.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is an easy plant-based bar, gluten-free and delicious to pack as a post-workout snack. These bars are naturally:
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Vegan Egg-Free Refined Sugar-Free No Artificial Flavors
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make no-bake proteins bars at home in under 20 minutes are:
Plant-Based Protein Powder – I am using unflavored pea protein powder for this recipe it means that if your protein powder contains flavors, you may have to skip or reduce vanilla extract to prevent the vanilla flavor from overpowering the bar. Coconut Flour – It’s a naturally low-carb, gluten-free flour that is safe to eat raw and adds fiber and texture to the bars. Almond Flour – This is another gluten-free low-carb flour, bringing healthy fats and proteins to the bars. Peanut Butter – Use a fresh jar with drippy peanut butter. If your peanut butter jar has been open a while back and the nut butter has hardened, the bar may come out super dry and crumbly. Maple Syrup – Or any liquid sweetener you like such as coconut nectar or rice malt syrup. Vanilla Extract – Skip if your powder is vanilla flavored. Coconut Oil – this is necessary to keep the bars together and make a shiny top chocolate layer.
Chocolate Coating
To coat the bars, you need 3 ingredients:
Dark Chocolate – 70% cocoa or 85% cocoa to decrease added sugar in the bars. Coconut Oil Pinch of Sea Salt on the top to enhance the chocolate flavor of the bars.
How To Make Gluten-Free Protein Bars
It’s super easy to make these protein energy bars using only simple natural ingredients.
Storage Instructions
These homemade protein bars store well at room temperature for a few hours, even on hot days. However, it’s better to store them in the fridge in a sealed box to keep them fresher for up to one week. You can absolutely freeze protein bars in zip-loc bags and thaw them for 4 to 5 hours before eating them at room temperature.
Allergy Swaps
If you have some allergies to the ingredients used in these gluten-free protein bars, try some of the options below.
Peanut-Free – Replace the peanut butter with fresh sunflower seed butter or almond butter. Almond butter is a bit drier and tends to dry the bar, while sunflower seed butter is a bit bitter. Choose the option that matches your tastebuds and dietary requirement, both options are gluten-free and vegan. Low-Carb – Coconut flour and almond flour are low-carb, so you can keep these bars low in carbs by using a sugar-free syrup but do not use sugar-free pancake syrup that is mainly made of water. We can’t guarantee the texture if you are using sugar-free maple-flavored syrup as they are extremely high in fiber and tend to dry out the bars. You may need to add more coconut oil to balance the texture. Coconut-Free – You can replace coconut oil with melted cocoa butter. We didn’t try other oil, and I believe they would work but add strong flavor to the bars especially olive oil or avocado oil – not recommended.
Below are the answers to the most frequent questions about this recipe.
More Healthy Bar Recipes
If you like healthy bars for a snack or after a workout, you’ll love these:
